| Office Romance | |||||||
| Director: | Eldar Ryazanov | ||||||
| Native Name: |
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| Music: | Andrei Petrov | ||||||
| Cinematography: | Vladimir Nakhabtsev | ||||||
| Distributor: | Mosfilm | ||||||
| Runtime: | 159 minutes | ||||||
| Country: | Soviet Union | ||||||
| Language: | Russian | ||||||
| Budget: | 500,000 rubles | ||||||
Office Romance (Russian: links=no|italic=yes|Служебный роман|Sluzhebny roman) is a 1977 Soviet comedy film directed by Eldar Ryazanov. The film's plot is based on the stageplay Co-workers (Russian: Сослуживцы) written by Ryazanov and Emil Braginsky, and tells the story of Ludmila Kalugina, head of a statistical bureau, and her subordinate, economist Anatoly Novoseltsev, who come from mutual aversion to love.
Filmed at Mosfilm in 1976 and released in 1977, Office Romance was a box office success, the leader of Soviet film distribution in 1978 and still enjoys wide popularity in the former Soviet republics. Both romantic drama and screwball comedy, the film is noted for its scenes of Moscow in the late 1970s, and for its comical depiction of the everyday life and customs of Soviet society during the Era of Stagnation.
In Moscow in 1976, Anatoly Yefremovich Novoseltsev, a clumsy but goodhearted single father of two sons, works at a statistical bureau. The bureau is under the leadership of an industrious and strict single woman in her late 30s, Ludmila Prokofievna Kalugina, nicknamed "our frump" (Russian: наша мымра, also translated "our hag") by her subordinates. He vies for a promotion and a pay raise, but is too timid to bring up this discussion. He is nevertheless encouraged by his good friend, former classmate and colleague Olga "Olya" Ryzhova, a married woman living in the suburbs, whose husband is recuperating from a major operation in Yessentuki and whose teenage son is an athlete. Another former classmate and old friend of his, Yuri "Yura" Grigorievich Samokhvalov, recently assigned back to Moscow from Switzerland, nominates his old friend as a head of the light industry department to Kalugina, but the nomination is rejected. Novoseltsev, heeding Samokhvalov's advice, nervously tries to flirt with "the Frump" at a party in Samokhvalov's apartment, but Kalugina is further repelled by his poor attempts to impress her. Eventually drunk, Novoseltsev becomes irritated and tells Kalugina that he considers her "dry, inhuman and heartless".
The following morning, Novoseltsev seeks Kalugina to apologize, but inadvertently drives her to tears. Kalugina reveals that she is aware of her reputation among her subordinates. They have a heart-to-heart conversation, start getting closer and soon grow fond of each other. Kalugina gradually lets down the armor of a hardened woman and puts more efforts in improving her overall appearance which surprises her colleagues.
The relationship between Anatoly and Ludmila evolves, full of comical situations and repartees. At the same time drama unfolds between Olga Ryzhova and Yuri Samokhvalov who dated many years ago at the university. Despite both being married, Olga's romantic feelings are rekindled by Samokhvalov's recent arrival at the office. He, however, treats her just as an old friend and colleague. Olga begins to write him love letters that she passes to him through Vera "Verochka", the Frump's secretary, an efficient intel gatherer and an enormous gossip, who eventually reads the letters and leaks the affairs to the entire office. Samokhvalov, weary of the letters, relays the situation to the meddlesome Shura, the bureau's labor union committee activist, an accountant and the office's busybody. The letters, which he gives to Shura and asks her to "sort out the problem" at the committee, are then confiscated by Kalugina, who reprimands Samokhvalov for his tactlessness and demands that the matter is handled privately between him and Ryzhova. Later, Ryzhova, broken-hearted and humiliated, asks Samokhvalov to return the letters to her and returns to her work and life routine.
Once learns about Samokhvalov's heartless handling of Ryzhova's indiscretion, Novoseltsev angrily confronts him and later Shura for her gossip tendency. Samokhvalov retaliates by disclosing Novoseltsev's initial "plan" to Kalugina. She is shocked and thinks he is just another man deserting her like her last lover. She summons him to her office, appoints him as head of the light industry department and announces her intention to end their relationship while sarcastically praises his plan to achieve the promotion. Ashamed, Novoseltsev admits that while he initially pursued her with ulterior motives, has grown to appreciate her as an excellent leader and love her, to which Kalugina refutes. Frustrated, Novoseltsev rejects the promotion and tenders his resignation, which Kalugina continuously denies to spite him. This situation climaxes into a fiery spat that turns into a loud scuffle right in the office as a furious Ludmila chases Novoseltsev out of the building. They jump on a back seat of her service car and as Novoseltsev manages to comfort Ludmila, and they are seen embracing. A subtitle suggests that in 9 months there will be three boys in Novoseltsev's family, implying another son for the couple.
Office Romance was a Soviet hit movie in 1978 having 58.4 million viewers,[4] and still remains one of the most popular Soviet-era films in Russia and other former Soviet republics. Alisa Freindlich and Andrey Myagkov were named Best Actors of the year by readers of Soviet Screen magazine.
The film received general approval from critics; there was not one negative review of the film. High artistical level, skills and organic collaboration of director and actors were noted, as well as vivid portrayal of Moscow, comic elements in parallel with investigation of moral issues.
Members of the State Art Council nominated the leading actors for the USSR State Prize. Alisa Freindlich was the only lead one who didn't receive the Prize - according to the rules of that time, an actor couldn't be given a new prize within two years of getting a previous one, and Freindlich had already been awarded for her stage performance a year before the release of the film.[2] [3]
On the 40th anniversary of the film's release, Google released a Google Doodle.[5] [6]
In 2011 a remake was released, titled Office Romance. Our Time, with Sarik Andreasyan serving as director.
The songs from the film, performed by Alisa Freindlich and Andrey Myagkov, became hits in the USSR.
In 2004, DJ Groove from Saint Petersburg released remixes of the main themes of the film that were frequently broadcast by local radio stations.[8]
| Actor | Role | |
|---|---|---|
| Anatoly Yefremovich Novoseltsev | ||
| Ludmila Prokofievna Kalugina | ||
| Yuri Grigoryevich Samokhvalov | ||
| Olga Petrovna Ryzhova | ||
| Liya Akhedzhakova | office secretary Verochka | |
| labor union activist Shura | ||
| logistics manager | ||
| Pyotr Ivanovich Bublikov | ||
| Nelly Pshennaya | Samokhvalov's wife | |
| Alik Denisov | Vova Novoseltsev |